Existing integration theories have limitations in explaining the phenomenon of European regional disintegration.Neo-functionalism and liberal intergovernmentalism can not totally explain disintegration phenomena such as Brexit;post-functionalism and real institutionalism focus on the unit level of the regional disintegration process;realism has strong explanatory power,and its derivative embedded bilateralism attempts to construct an intermediate level,but ends up with incomplete explanations.Positional realism implies that the system shapes national preferences,while structural realism provides a new theoretical explanation for regional disintegration in terms of system level.Since the interna-tional financial crisis in 2008 and the European sovereign debt crisis in 2009,the distribution of power among the major countries within the European Union(EU)has undergone tremendous adjustments,marked by the rapid decline of the relative strength of Britain and the rapid rise of that of Germany.Changes in global and regional power structures have led to different national behaviors in Britain,France,and Germany.In order to avoid the power expansion of the EU led by Germany,Britain,which is on the edge of the integration mecha-nism,has decided to withdraw from the EU and chosen to disintegrate.The rel-ative strength of France and Germany has seen no significant change,so France,still at the core of regional integration,has not chosen to disintegrate.The pres-sure of the multipolar structure of the international system forces France and Ger-many to continue to consolidate the Franco-German axis and to advance the process of European regional integration.
维普
万方数据